


Scales and Wings- A HTTYD Fanfiction

by FictionalDragonMother



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Animal Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-06-23 14:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 12,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15608154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FictionalDragonMother/pseuds/FictionalDragonMother
Summary: Hiccup wishes upon a star that they could understand more about how dragons really feel, think, live. He thought no one heard. He was wrong.Now Hiccup and crew must find the person responsible for their transformation, before it becomes permanent. And maybe grant Hiccups wish along the way





	1. When You Wish Upon A Star

Wooooossshhh

Hiccup rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a blast of scalding hot water. Hiccup and his friends had been out celebrating Hiccups birthday by exploring a mostly underwater cave. They had not anticipated a angry Scaldron living there.

Tuffnut teased the enraged dragon, prompting it to fire at him. He dodged just barely, a few drops of the scalding liquid grazing his arm. He laughed as the dragon took a snap at Ruffnut, who was staring in awe at the sheer size of this dragon.

It was the largest Scaldron they had ever seen. It was a deep blue with hints of purple and silver. Its golden eyes could pierce ones soul. They held intelligence. Hiccup stared at him, and he stared right back.

Astrid circled the dragon, looking to see if anything was wrong. She spotted some red around its ankles. She peered closer and saw that the dragon was hurt. "Guys, his back foot's injured!" she called.

"So that's why he's like this!" Hiccup realised. He huffed. They were going to have to find a way to calm this dragon down without getting killed. "The Scaldron is hurt, we need to wear him out so we can try to help him. Ruff, Tuff, make him mad. Snotlout, Fishlegs, help them out. Astrid, i need you to fly back to Berk and get some supplies. Il stay here and try to calm it down when its worn out.

Hiccup glanced up into the Scaldron's eyes. They were full of anger and life. Hiccup sighed. This would take a while.

::::::::::::::::::::4 Hours Later::::::::::::::::::::

Snotlout faceplanted into the dirt, exhausted. Hiccup felt like doing the same. The Scaldron had put up a hell of a fight. It had taken 3 hours just to wear it out. Astrid slumped down next to Stormfly, almost passing out. Fishlegs was already asleep, trusting Meatlug not to crash. Tuffnut poked a burn Ruffnut had gotten, but Ruffnut was too tired to care.

Hiccup sighed and grabbed some bandages and burn healing herbs. He knew Ruffnut wouldn't treat the wounds. She must have really been exhausted, as she didn't even protest being treated. By the time he was done, she was fast asleep.

Hiccup felt his eyes droop. He was oh so very tired as well. He leaned back on Toothless's stomach, gazing upwards. It was late winter, so he could see SparkSeer, the star dragon. He watched the dragons eye twinkle. It reminded him of the Scaldron's eye. Oh, how much intelligence those eyes held, how much he must have seen. He wished he could understand what being a dragon really was like.

He glanced up at the sky again, and smiled as a shooting star streaked across the night sky like a white fireball. Hiccup didn't really believe in wishing on stars, but he was very tired, and it was his birthday, so he closed his eyes, and with the last bit of remaining consciousness, he made a wish.

"I wish i understood what it's like being a dragon."

Far above, that star shined a little bit brighter.


	2. Changed

Hiccup blinked his eyes blearily. This... wasn't his house. It was a snowy field with a forest behind it. Oh wait, now he remembered. They had fallen asleep here not to long after dealing with the angry Scaldron on his 16th birthday. What a way to celebrate.

He turned to look at Toothless, but it seemed his dragon had gone off for some early morning fishing. Oh well, better go wake the others up. He went to stand and stretch, and yelped when he fell face first into the soft grass, slightly charred from when the dragons had blasted the snow. Why had that happened? Why did his back feel a bit heavier? And why did it feel like he had a...

Hiccup turned his head, and screamed at what he saw. He no longer had clothes, nor did he have a human body. Soft black scales peppered with dull grey and brown spots ran along his body. A pair of black wings were tucked neatly at his side, and a black tail swished in the grass, two black fins resting at the end.

He stared at his hands, and found them to be black talons with tiny black claws at the end. Hiccup felt his breath catch. His breaths came in gulps as his mind reeled, trying to figure out what was going on.

Snotlout heard a muffled yelp, rousing him from sleep. He recognised the high pitched noise anywhere. That had been Hiccup!  
He lifted his head, turning it. What he saw astounded and shocked him. A baby dragon was face down in the dirt. Not just any baby dragon, a Nightfury baby.

He was about to wake up the others, but paused when he saw the end of his nose, or rather, what had been his nose. At the end of his face was a dark red armored snout, tipped with a burgundy horn. He reached his hand up, only to see red talons with black claws.

He felt something shift on his back. He peeked over his shoulder, panic rising. Soft orange wings were spread out on his back. Snotlout couldn't take it any more. "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

___________A Few Miles Away__________

Toothless flung his head back, gulping down the fish he had caught. Mmmm salmon. He turned his head as Hookfang set down, a elk hanging in his mouth. Barf and Belch munched on a yak, and Meatlug crunched on some rocks. Yuck. He never could understand how she could eat that when fish was so much better.

He was about to duck under for more, when his sensitive ears picked up on a distant scream. Hookfangs human, he recognised. Toothless roared and bolted into the sky, the others trailing behind him.

\--------------Back with the group--------------

At this point, everyone had woken up, and any sense of calmness had been violently chucked off a cliff. Hiccup was screaming silently, looking at his talons, unable to get any sound out. Snotlout,Astrid and the twins were seemingly locked in a screeching battle, and Fishlegs was on the grass, trying to wrap his head around the situation. A unlikely feat.

Hiccups breaths were almost non existent at this point. He collapsed onto the grass next to Fishlegs, who peered at him, very concerned. Only Toothless and Gobber had seen him have a panic attack, and he had sworn them to secrecy,(even though Toothless couldn't speak) and he had never had one this bad before.

He shut his eyes and tried to focus on his rapidly beating heart. It was something that had worked before, but with his heartbeat suddenly less powerful than before, and the shock of undergoing such a dramatic change, he couldn't calm himself. His breath almost came to a stop, but he felt something on his heart.

He opened one eye. Fishlegs was staring at him with fierce worry. The screaming was still going on, but the area around Hiccup seemed to be completely silent, save for the sound of his heart. Fishlegs had placed a nubby paw onto his heart, and the presence of a friend allowed him to calm down enough to get some gulps of air at least.

The screaming died down. The young teens had screamed their little throats raw. Ruffnut and Tuffnut, now a young lime green Zippleback, collapsed near Hiccup. The twins looked at their unofficial leader and quite official friend, just now noticing his state.

Tuffnut lifted his head up. His eyes were wide with shock and yet he looked tired. Ruffnut was to weary to lift her head, but she looked afraid for her hyperventilating friend. Astrid and Snotlout turned towards Hiccup as well, staring at him confused. Hiccup tried to explain, but he could barely breath as it was.

"He's having a panic attack. I've never seen one this bad before." Fishlegs informed them, a little surprised at his slightly more growly voice. Before anyone could ask any questions, a well known roar rang out across the sky. "Our dragons!" cried Astrid, relived.

A streak of black circled the area, before pausing and staring down at them. Toothless hovered in the air, the new tail Hiccup had built him allowing him to stay airborne without a rider working quite nicely.

The Nightfury couldn't believe what he was seeing. In the place of his rider and his friends, were small, defenseless hatchlings. He dropped down, a small bit away as to try and not seem threatening. There was a Zippleback, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Deadly Nadder, a Gronkle and a... Toothless's eyes widened. He... He couldn't remember the last time he had seen a hatchling of his own kind.

After the initial shock wore off, he smelt the fear radiating off of the young ones, especially the young Nightfury. He reached forward slowly, and to his luck the hatchling did not move away, but the others moved in front of their friend.

The teens didn't know why they had moved in front of Hiccup, they knew and trusted Toothless. But something inside them compelled them to protect their youngest member of their group. Snotlout moved in front of the group, puffing himself up. He quickly stopped when he heard some familiar wing beats.

The other 4 dragons touched down, curious to see what their friend was looking at and eager to find their riders. They didn't know what they expected, but it certainly wasn't a gaggle of hatchlings with big wide eyes staring up at them. Their gaze immediately found the small black dragonet with markings on his face, reaching intently towards Toothless.

Hiccup couldn't see much, but he could see Toothless. He wanted his best friend. He wanted the warm comfort that only dragons could give. He assumed parents could offer the same, but it had been a long time since he had felt anything like that from a parental figure.

Toothless noticed the hatchling reaching out to him with a pained face, and immediately scooped him up in his claws, much to the discomfort of the other hatchlings, before they were picked up in a similar manner, being drawn in close to the elder dragons bodies, as they could not hold them like Toothless could.

Toothless brought the pained hatchling close to his chest, feeling the erratic beating of the youngsters heart. He licked the baby's head, something he had done for his rider when he had been like this. His rider... where was he? Toothless looked around, but there was no sign of him or his friends, but also no sign of them leaving.

He looked at the hatchling again staring into his wide, green eyes. They were so much like Hiccups. He pricked his ears forward when the hatchling looked like he was trying to speak.

"T-toothless? It's me b-b-bud."


	3. Bonding even closer

Toothless almost dropped Hiccup out of shock. Hiccup yelped and grabbed onto the elder Night Fury's forearm. Toothless quickly caught him. "Hiccup?" he asked. The small dragon stared at him, shocked that he could understand his best friend. 

Hookfang turned towards the small red hatchling in his talons. "Snotlout?" he asked, surprise creeping into his gravelly voice. Snotlout puffed out his chest. "The one and only! Wait, did you just talk?!" he asked, chest deflating. "Did you just understand me?" 

Tuffnut and Ruffnut head-butted Barf and Belch, liking their dragons laugh. Belch blew low heat sparks onto the twins heads, letting them snap and batt at them with their claws. The twins didn't know why, but it felt nice to be able to play with their dragons like this.

Meatlug was almost squishing Fishlegs at this point, her massive head resting on his back. Fishlegs tried to wiggle away, but his efforts were in vain. He finally relented, huffing. It was still quite early, so he supposed that a nap wasn't a bad idea.

"Can you understand me, Astrid?" Stormfly asked in a somewhat higher pitched voice. (it sounds kinda like Pearls voice from SU). Astrid nodded, excited to finally have a better way of communicating with Stormfly. "It's so weird being able to understand you!" Astrid said. "I could say the same to you."

Once the initial shock wore off, the teens were quite interested in talking to their dragons, Hiccup especially. He wanted to know all there was about dragon life, and Toothless was happy to share all that he knew. He told Hiccup about how there had once been many Night Furies, but the adults had been hunted to extinction, and most of the hatchlings had contracted a rare illness. Hiccup felt extremely saddened by that, and patted his buddy's nose in condolence.

Stormfly told Astrid all about the cliff sides that Deadly Nadders lived in. She told Astrid about dragon legends, and the teen drank in the knowledge.

Hookfang blew some fire on Snotlout, a form of marking. The fire clung to Snotlout's red scales, and he jumped a little, not used to being on fire and not getting burned. He scrunched his snout up and blew hot smoke at Hookfang.

Barf and Belch showed the twins that they could change the patches of colour on their scales. Red,orange,blue, all of the colours of the rainbow. The twins of course immediately tried to replicate, to frustrating failure. 

The teens questioned and played with their dragons for hours, not noticing how late it was getting.


	4. Friends to Foes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Stoick will not be a good guy in this.

"Hiccup!"

Stoick shouted his son's name again, worry increasing. It was getting dark, and Hiccup and his friends should have been back by now. 

Gobber peered out into the ever growing darkness. As adventurous as Hiccup was, even the young teen knew the dangers of staying out for days on end with limited supplies. The teens were only supposed to be out for one day, and now the sun was setting on the second.

"Stoick, maybe we should head back and set out tomorrow morning. It's getting pretty dark." he suggested.

"If they're in trouble, they might not have until tomorrow." Stoick replied. 

 

 

Hiccup squinted as the warm glow of the setting sun bounced off of the glistening snow, the light shining into his eyes. 

"Whoa, when did get so late? Oh man my dad is going to kill me!" he exclaimed.

 

He wiggled out of Toothless's arms, walking towards Berk, before pausing. "Wait, how are we going to explain... this?" he asked, gesturing to himself and the other teens. The others looked at each other. They didn't get a chance to discuss anything, because at that moment, Stoick and Gobber stepped out of the forest.

A uneasy aura settled over the field, a tense feeling taking over. Hiccup and Stoick locked eyes as the suns dying rays bathed them in an orange glow, the moon's first luminescent white rays just beginning to peek out from the horizon behind Hiccup. 

He didn't know why he felt so uneasy. It was just his father and Gobber. But perhaps, it was his father's face. He didn't look shocked, like Gobber. No, he looked... angry, betrayed, yet still holding out hope. Hope that what he was seeing wasn't real. Stoick took a step forward, face unchanging. Hiccup took a wary step back. Stoick finally decided to break the silence.

"Son." The words were almost spat, like they were poison. "Is that you?"

His words were cold as frigid ice, and Hiccup's head felt heavy as he slowly nodded. Stoick's face darkened, and Hiccup almost whimpered. "By Odin's beard, my son's been cursed, to become... one of these, beasts!" Stoick scowled, his voice raising dangerously. Then he paused, as if he was thinking. 

"No, son is too fond of a word. Disgrace or monster might be more appropriate." he stated darkly, slowly reaching behind his back. Reaching for something.

'His axe!' Hiccup realized, horrified.

This was worse than when his father had disowned him, because now...

Stoick brandished his war axe, the steel blade glinting in the pale moonlight.

Now he was trying to kill them.


	5. Away

Hiccup's body responded faster than his mind did. He leapt away just as Stoick's axe sunk into the ground where he had been just seconds before. Panicked screeches arose from the dragons as Stoick pulled the axe from the earth. Toothless grabbed Hiccup in his front arms and turned to fly away, the other dragons having already lifted off, their frightened riders in their jaws. 

Stoick swung his axe towards Toothless's tail, intending to destroy Hiccup's invention, when another axe clashed with his own. Gobber stared at his old friend pleadingly, silently asking him to halt his attack. Stoick violently pulled his axe away, but it was pointless. Toothless had already flown high into the sky. Gobber turned back to Stoick, and shivered at the glare he was receiving. This wouldn't end well for him.

 

Hiccup hadn't even realized they were flying until he felt the soft, damp feeling of clouds wash over him. He blinked, his mind processing what had just happened. He supposed he was an orphan now, since he clearly no longer had a father. Hot tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away, slightly surprised that dragons could cry. He decided to finally look around.

They were flying over a large pine forest, somewhere unknown. The moon glowed softly above.

 

Toothless was silent, as were the other adult dragons, but Hiccup could feel the anger radiating off of him. The other teens were also silent, but that, Hiccup guessed, was because they were in shock, if their faces were anything to go by. As for Hiccup, the sadness and shock was becoming numbness. Slowly, Hiccup forced himself to stop feeling. He curled into himself and closed his eyes.

 

Astrid was the first of the other teens to recover. she shook her head, mind still reeling. That had been terrifying, scarier than any dragon attack they had been through. Their own chief turning on them, on his son, it was horrible. Stoick's harsh, disgusted glare would forever be burned into her mind. She turned her head when she heard Snotlout silently exhale. He looked shaken too, as did the twins, who were uncharacteristically silent. Fishlegs looked like he was shaking, he was also covering his eyes. She couldn't see Hiccup, but she could guess that he wasn't doing so well.

Snotlout was the one to finally break the deafening silence.

"You guys know what this means right?" he asked quietly. "It means we'll probably never be able to go home. Everyone will probably see us as... as..." he trailed off, not wanting to finish. 

"Monsters." Ruffnut finished somberly.

The teens fell silent again, the only sounds being the whistling of the wind, their dragon's wingbeats, and their own tiny beating hearts.


	6. Night Time Endeavors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Armor is Sword's oc from the HTTYD Amino! (Yes there are going to be ocs in this. yes you can submit one in the comments, and i may use it. i will credit you of course.)

Hiccup opened his eyes when he felt Toothless dive downwards, the wind whipping faster. He got a kind of thrill from seeing the world at this angle, not having any control,having to put his complete trust in Toothless. Said Night Fury had started to slow down as he gently landed, making sure to land on his back legs as to not squish Hiccup. He placed Hiccup on the ground and dropped down onto four legs. The elder black dragon began licking Hiccup as he laid down on the ground, pulling Hiccup in closer as the other dragons set down.

The other teens gave small laughs at Hiccup being covered in drool, before being pulled into their own dragon baths. Astrid pulled a face and tried to squirm away, twisting out of Stormfly's wings. Snotlout had also managed to escape, but the others weren't so lucky. Fishlegs just accepted his fate, lowering his head while Snotlout laughed at him, coughing up a bit of smoke. The twins, however, did not go down without a fight. Tuffnut coughed up gas, surrounding him and Ruffnut. Ruffnut opened her mouth, and spat out a spark.

 

Barf and Belch pulled their heads back as weak fire exploded over the twins. When the flames cleared, the twins sat there, singed and dazed. The other teens laughed at the ash covered twins, who looked at each other and began to laugh as well. The dragons joined in, and even Hiccup started to laugh, which caused the others to smile a little bit wider.

 

A little while later, the dragons had decided that they should rest before setting out tomorrow.

"Wait, what do you mean we're leaving?" Snotlout asked, stomping his paw. "Berk is no longer safe for us. It may not even be safe for all the other dragons, now that The Half Dragon is gone." Hookfang explained. "The what?" Fishlegs asked, very confused. "The Half Dragon is what many dragons call Hiccup." Toothless stated. Said viking was confused, but also too exhausted to ask about it. The whole ordeal had sapped him of his energy, and he hoped that a good sleep would help.

 

\-------------------------------------------Two Hours Later--------------------------------------------

Hiccup's eyes snapped open. A rustling noise had come from the forest in front of him. Hiccup sat up, the spines on his back standing on end. While the logical side of him told him to wake up the others, his famous curiosity flared up, and he decided to go closer. He slowly stood up and quietly padded towards the source of the noise. He narrowed it down to a small bush near a lake deeper in the forest that hadn't frozen over for some reason. Cautiously, Hiccup approached the bush and tapped it gently. He fell back with a small yelp as something shot out of the bush. Standing before him was a Smothering Smokebreath with a fish in his mouth, which he dropped. He was a darker grey than most of his kind did, and his yellow eyes were mischievous but kind.

"Hello little funny dragon, what are you doing out here all alone?" He asked Hiccup. Hiccup rolled over and sat up, looking down slightly at the slightly smaller dragon. "I'm not alone, i was just curious about what that noise was. I was expecting a rabbit or something." he admitted sheepishly. The grey dragon laughed, wisps of smoke curling upwards from his jaws. "I like you, little funny dragon. I'm Armor. What's your name?" Armor asked, breaking off a chunk of the fish and passing it to the small black dragon. "Hiccup."

 

Hiccup and Armor walked down to lake to catch more fish. Hiccup put a paw in the water, and pulled back in surprise when he discovered that it was warm. Armor laughed again, he did that a lot, and ducked his head under. When he came up, he had a fat cod in his mouth. He ducked under again, and a few minutes later came up with a slightly smaller brown lake trout. He passed the trout to Hiccup and began eating his own fish. Hiccup stared at the fish warily, remembering the last time he ate raw fish, but took a bite anyways. The flavor of the fish wasn't anything like what he had imagined it would. The meat was full of flavor, more than when it was cooked, and it filled every part of him with energy.

It also reminded him that he hadn't eaten in almost three days. He swallowed the small chunk he had bitten off and tor a larger one off. He was about to swallow it whole, when he remembered that he wasn't alone. He looked over at Armor, expecting to see a look of disgust, when he saw the small dragon horking down the whole cod. Hiccup decided that him eating chunks of the fish whole was acceptable.

After they had finished eating, Hiccup decided to ask Armor why he was out in the woods.

"Oh, I'm out here with my human, Sam. She brings me here when she wants to explore the woods, because she knows how much i hate the cold." He answered simply. Hiccup racked his brain for a girl that had a Smothering Smokebreath. Right, the one that helped with putting out fires, especially forest fires. He remembered now. Then he remembered what Hookfang had said about the other dragons on Berk. That might apply to their riders too.

"Armor, I need you to listen to me very carefully." Hiccup said hurriedly. Armor cocked his head but nodded, leaning in. "The chief of the village, Stoick, has turned against dragons again. I don't know how long it will be until people start following his mindset again, but anyone who is loyal to their dragons will be in danger. You need to get your rider and anyone who will follow off the island. Go somewhere safe, anywhere but Berk and it's closest islands." he instructed urgently.

Armor stared at Hiccup for a moment, before nodding and standing up. "Alright Hiccup, I've got a good feeling about you, and my gut is almost never wrong. I'll get Sam to take us back to the village. If it really is as bad as you say, then I'll find away to help everyone I can." Armor assured Hiccup. He leapt up into the air and hovered. "Come on, let's get you back to where ever it is you came from. You do know how to fly, right?" he asked, looking down at the little dragon. Hiccup shook his head, and that mischievous look returned to Armor's eyes. "Then consider this your first lesson." 

 

Apparently, Armor's idea of a flying lesson was grabbing Hiccup, flying him high up into the sky, finding a air current, and telling Hiccup to open his wings before dropping him.

"WAUGGGGGHHHHHH!" Hiccup screamed as he fell through the air, and out of impulse he threw out his wings in a attempt to slow himself down. The wind caught under his wings, and the current wrapped him in a chilling hug, but he was steady. When his heart stopped beating faster than his wings, Hiccup began to enjoy himself. Armor glided by next to him, and then folded in his wings. Hiccup followed, slipping out of the air current. Out in the open air, it was harder to fly, and to breathe, so Hiccup folded his wings and dropped down. Armor flew in front of him, but he wasn't to close. Hiccup felt the wind become less sharp, and he cast a grateful glance at Armor. With the moon's depleting rays shining on his face, he could see Armor's smile.

When the forest got so close that Hiccup could almost touch the trees, Armor pulled up and skimmed above them before darting down into the forest, Hiccup right behind him. Hiccup felt himself becoming more and more exhausted, and was glad for Armor's air stream. Hiccup steered right slightly, towards where Toothless and the others were sleeping, and Armor followed at his side, no longer able to lead.

Hiccup steered right slightly, towards where Toothless and the others were sleeping, and Armor followed at his side, no longer able to lead  
They stopped a few meters away from the still sleeping group, and Hiccup plopped down on the snow, energy spent. Armor laughed again, and dropped down. The small grey dragon glanced towards the rising sun, and a concerned look overtook his face. "For everyone's sake, I hope you're wrong about the chief, Hiccup." he said to the young dragon, before taking off. "Me too." he whispered.


	7. The Storm

Hiccup waddled over to Toothless, determined to get as much sleep as he could before they had to leave. He returned to his previous spot by Toothless's wings, which had turned cold. He plopped down onto the singed grass and closed his eyes.

It wasn't until something nudged Hiccup that he finally roused from sleep. He tiredly opened an eye and was greeted by the sight of Toothless's face. His best friend was holding a small arctic salmon in his mouth, which he set down in front of Hiccup. "Thanks, Toothless!" Hiccup said gratefully, taking a bite of the fish. "Your welcome." Toothless replied.

Hiccup grabbed the rest of the fish and padded over to his friends, Toothless following close behind him. Hiccup sat down next to Snotlout, absorbing the strong natural body heat that Monstrous Nightmares gave off. Snotlout was currently mauling a pike that Hookfang had no doubt brought for him. The other teens ate ravenously, but Hiccup noticed something odd about what Fishlegs was eating.

"Fishlegs, why are you eating fish? I thought that Gronkels only ate rocks?" Hiccup asked curiously. Fishlegs finished off the cod he had been eating, before turning his head to answer his friend. "Normally, they do. But since were so young, we have to eat softer foods, even me and Snotlout, who will eventually eat raw meat." he answered. Hiccup "oohed" in understanding.

After about an hour, the dragons picked up the dragonets in their mouths, or in Toothless's case, his front legs, and carried them up into the air. Hiccup was adjusted more comfortably this time, and he stretched his wings out, enjoying the breeze that swept under them. The dragons were headed North, away from Berk. As they soared into the sky, Hiccup got one last look at his old home. Dragons were flying up and towards the east, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Armor had done his job, and now at least some dragons and their riders were safe. He could only pray that all of them could escape, but some good people and dragons would probably die today.

He hoped Gobber wouldn't be one of them.

He turned back towards the others, and saw that his friends had also stretched their wings out, and he could see Astrid lift her face towards the sun, smiling as its warm golden rays shone down on her gleaming blue scales. She looked like a bright sapphire. In fact, they all looked like precious stones. Snotlout was a fiery garnet, the twins shone like a newly polished peridot, and Fishlegs was like bronze and malachite. Hiccup looked down at his own scales, and noticed that he too sparkled. He shined like a glittery onyx, sunlight bouncing off of his small reflective scales. All of them were shinier than any adult dragon Hiccup had ever seen. ' probably because our scales haven't been worn down yet. ' he thought to himself.

\--------------------4 hours later-------------------

If Hiccup had thought that the air had been cold before, it was freezing now.

They had been flying over the ocean, when a wicked ice storm had caught them by surprise. Hiccup tucked his frozen face closer to Toothless's chest, ice clinging to the corners of his eyes. Every corner of his face stung sharply, and yet he could barely feel it, his face had become so numb. His wings, despite being pulled as close as they could be to his shivering body, felt like they were going to fall off. Hiccup turned his head a bit, just to get a peek at them. Frost coated the edges, and was slowly crawling up the thin black skin. He turned his head away, and focused on staying awake.

Toothless blinked rapidly, trying desperately not to fall asleep. To fall asleep would almost certainly mean death, for him and for the little hatchling currently shivering in his arms. He swiveled his head, and roared in alarm when he realized he could no longer see anyone. The storm obscured his vision, and sapped him of his strength. His kind were used to hotter climates, and did poorly in frigid temperatures. But any dragon would have a hard time in this weather.

Toothless felt his wings grow heavy and slow, and felt himself tilting downwards. With the last of his consciousness, he curled into Hiccup. And then his world went black.

 

 

A figure flew through the storm. Something in her gut called her, and she was glad her dragon and the other dragons she was with were so adept at flying through storms. As the pull got stronger, a shape appeared on the ice. As she flew closer, she knew it was a dragon, and urged her dragon to go faster. As Cloudjumper landed on the ice, she jumped off and ran towards them. A gasp of surprise escaped her as she saw what lay unconscious on the ice.


	8. In The Hall Of The Bewilderbeast King

Valka stared down at the black dragons at her feet. It had been years since there had even been rumors of Night Furies existing in the Archipelago or any of the surrounding areas. Everyone had thought that they had gone extinct. Yet, here she was with two of them laying at her feet. The littlest one shifted, and Valka caught a glimpse of his face. He had unusual markings, but what got her attention was the small scar on the hatchling's cheek. It was in the same spot that her son had it. 

Gently, she crouched down and pressed two fingers against the big dragon,s neck. He still had a pulse. That meant she could still save him. Gathering the hatchling in her arms, she waved her staff, and Cloudjumper and Pinestorm gently picked up the elder Night Fury. She grabbed onto Cloudjumper's tail as he flew up, and her loyal partner flicked her up onto his back. 

Valka peered down at the dragon curled up in her arms, and inhaled sharply. Frost Rot was all along the edges of the hatchling's wings, fins and ears. Frost Rot was what happened when a creature's body became so cold that parts of the body became unresponsive. It could lead to paralysis, brain damage, permanent nerve damage, blindness, the loss of body parts or even death. Luckily, it didn't seem to be too far along, and if he was treated quickly, he would be alright. Valka looked at the older Night Fury, and saw the blue on his wings as well. She sighed. It would be a long night. 

 

When the snow finally cleared, Hookfang found himself and Snotlout alone. He wheeled around and saw no sign of any of his flockmates. Snotlout popped his head out of Hookfang's jaws. Hookfang had put his rider into his mouth when it got to cold for the hatchling to handle. Snotlout shook his head, shaking the firelit drool off of his head. The small hatchling clawed his way onto Hookfang's head. Snotlout peered around, trying to figure out where everyone was. Hookfang landed and curled his tail around Snotlout, bringing him to the ground. They were on a rocky island, sheets of ice covering most surfaces. It seemed mostly empty, but Hookfang could smell rams on the cliffs. 

"Hookfang, where is everyone?" Snotlout asked, stepping closer to the elder dragon for warmth. Hookfang sighed. "I honestly don't know. I lost them in the storm." He said. Snotlout puffed up his chest. "Than we have to go find them! Who knows what kind of danger they might be in!" Snotlout exclaimed. Hookfang shook his head. "As much as it hurts my heart and my pride, we can't. I wont get Frost Rot, but you will if we go out there again while the storm is that bad. Besides, i'm exhausted. we'll rest here for tonight, and head out tomorrow." Hookfang reasoned. Snotlout sighed, defeated. Normally, he would fight, but since it was only him and Hookfang, he had to at least try to be somewhat level-headed. "Alright. Tomorrow as early as we can. At least this place is empty." he said.

"That is where you are wrong, little Nightmare." 

 

Konungr silently observed his icy nest. Dragons of all colours, species, sizes and age flew around, and a small smile graced his face as some of the younglings landed on his ancient tusks. The small beings fluttered playfully along, dancing and chasing, daring each other to inch closer to Konungr's face. He decided to humour them a bit, pretending not to notice them.

A scrappy light blue female Scuttleclaw eyed Konungr, before bravely prancing towards his face. She halted, however, when Konungr's eye snapped down, staring directly at her. She froze, before squawking at him in baby babble. The dignified king responded by playfully blowing soft, icy mist at her. The Scuttleclaws flapped away, but he knew that they would return, most likely while he was trying to sleep. Adorable little hyper monsters.

The fun atmosphere diminished when the human female,Valka, returned with her scouting patrol. In her grasp was a small black lump. He couldn't see what she was holding, but he could see what Cloudjumper and Pinestorm were carrying. Konungr's eyes widened. He had thought... he had thought that the last of the Night Furies had died with Leiptr and her mate Dauði. Leiptr had contracted a sickness, and the pair had fled with their first and only hatchlings to a remote island, in an attempt to prevent the sickness from spreading to the rest of the nest, and to try and find a cure for Leiptr. He had lost his best friends that day.

So to see an actual Night Fury had the old king reeling. He stood up and placed his paws on the edge of the cliffside, water cascading down his behemoth body. Valka stepped back, not used to seeing the Bewilderbeast so active. His old bones ached as he peered at the unconscious dragon, who had been set down on a mossy rock. He saw the blue around his wings, and sighed a breath of relief when he saw that the Frost Rot wasn't too bad. He dove under the water and swam down to his underwater garden. Gently, he grabbed some glowing red seaweed. This, combined with a Blue Heartfire flower, was a highly efficient cure for Frost Rot. The Blue Heartfire would stop the Frost Rot by itself, but the Blood seaweed would reverse any damage the Frost Rot had done. When he had resurfaced, Valka had gathered two of the flowers in her arms. Konungr was confused as to why she had grabbed two, until he saw the second shadowy shape on the rock. It... it couldn't be.

And yet it was. Unconscious on the mossy rock was a living Night Fury hatchling. Somehow, someway, the universe had allowed this to happen, and Konungr couldn't be happier. Valka took the seaweed from his mouth and mashed the petals and the seaweed into a paste, before placing them into the two dragons mouths. By now, many dragons had gathered and whispers drifted around like butterflies. But all went quiet when the young Night Fury began to stir.


	9. Coming too

Cold.

Cold was all he could feel. In his world, there was only darkness, pain and that bone chilling cold. He was alone, alone with the cold.

Then, there was something else. Warmth. It seeped into his being and filled him, giving him new energy.Slowly, he began to come to.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. Brightness greeted him, but he fought through it. When the light dimmed, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Many eyes were staring at him, but the ones that caught his gaze were the ones belonged to a giant of a dragon, one that Hiccup had never even heard of. The icy turquoise eyes stared at him with bright fascination and warm happiness, and Hiccup somehow felt calmer. Sitting up, he saw all the other dragons peering at him, and he was astounded by how many new species there were. But one of the figures made him freeze.

A woman was standing to the right of him, and she knelt down when she locked eyes with him. She reached a tentative hand out, and something flashed in Hiccup's mind. A memory of a woman doing the same thing. Reaching for him, promising a warm embrace. Hiccup leaned in, and the woman's warm hand rubbed his head, lightly scratching behind Hiccup's soft, scaly ear. The lady let out a happy, breathy laugh as she stared at him with bright eyes.

Hiccup's attention was taken away from the woman when he felt something shift behind him. He turned his head and saw Toothless rousing from unconsciousness. The elder Night Fury lifted his head and looked around, freezing when he locked eyes with the large white dragon, but he calmed when the dragon just blew a soft mist over them, showering them in sparkling ice. Hiccup laughed and stared up at him.Valka smiled. 

The young Night Fury was curiously staring at the Alpha, who stared right back. Their mutually curious stares were broken by a swarm of babies tackling Hiccup onto the ground. Toothless barked a laugh as Hiccup yelped in surprise, falling onto his back. The other dragons, including Valka and the Alpha, joined in. Hiccup seemed to be the only unamused one, of course no one could see that, as he was currently buried in dragons. Cloudjumper decided to take pity on Hiccup, and shooed the babies away. The young Night Fury sighed in relief, nodding his head in thanks. Valka walked over and scooped him up, and Hiccup leaned into her chest, feeling her heartbeat.


	10. Why you shouldn't mess with Zipplebacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gore warning!

When Tuffnut awoke, the first thing he noticed was the snow covering most of his face, the second was the colour. A streak of red ran through the white powder in front of him. Blood was splattered all around him, and Barf and Belch were nowhere to be seen. Ruffnut's side stirred beside him, but she stilled when the smell of iron hit her. His sister's eyes flickered around, and Tuffnut felt her spines stand on end. Usually, blood would fascinate them and they would follow a trail of it, but that was when they weren't the size of a Terrible Terror. 

The twins slowly backed away, not really wanting to meet whatever had caused the bloodshed. A lime green tiny Zippleback would most likely make a tasty snack for any hungry dragon, and the twins, to their knowledge, had no control over their breath abilities, unlike Snotlout, who could breathe hot smoke and controlled small bursts of flame at will. And with their dragons missing, they were left defenseless.

The best choice would be to hide, but given their current position, that seemed impossible. They were on the edge of an ocean, with nothing but vast swaths of snow in sight. Well, that and the oddly precise circles in the ice, one of which the blood trail led to...

Tuffnut's attention snapped to one of the holes. The water had ripples in it. 'What-' He was yanked from his thoughts when a white dragon burst through the ice, clawing its way out of the water. It was as white as the snow, with faint grey markings licking up its sides like fire. The most noticeable feature, however, was the long narwhal-like horn protruding from its forehead, dripping with blood, bits of what looked like polar bear still clinging on.

Tuffnut didn't even think. He yelled for his sister to get moving, but she didn't need to be told that. The two headed troublemaking twins tor off across the ice, trying to escape the icy predator. They tried to flap their wings, but they were as useless as wet paper. The white dragon slid onto its stomach, flapping its silvery wings, propelling itself forward. Its ice cold blue eyes shone with ferocious hunger, and it opened its mouth. A firebolt missed the twins by a hair, whooshing past and hitting the ice in front of them. They fell forward, scales roughly sliding against the ice. 

Within an instant, the dragon had its cold claws digging into Ruffnut's sides. She yelped as they dug in more, and she whipped her head around and snapped at the dragon's eye. Her teeth met their mark, and they closed around the soft eye. The dragon roared in pain, pulling his head back. Big mistake.

The eye tor free from its socket, snapping back against Ruffnuts mouth, who promptly dropped it in disgust. The white dragon brought a paw up to the bleeding hole on its face, before turning back towards the twins, the hunger in its eye replaced by rage. It coiled back, poised to pounce, when a green head grabbed it by the tail. Barf whipped his head back and forth, shaking the dragon violently. Belch grabbed its head and threw it. The dragon's body landed with a satisfying CRUNCH, before sliding into one of the holes.

The twins rolled over onto their stomach, and were promptly swamped by Barf and Belch. The elder dragons apologized profusely for losing them during the storm. Apparently, something had hit Belch in the face, causing him to drop the twins. They had spent hours looking for them. The twins excepted their apology, but demanded that the older Zipplebacks take them somewhere warmer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thought I'd give a little love to the twins.


	11. Kyanite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyanite is GeekyStormcutter's oc from the Httyd amino.

Snotlout jumped as a voice came from above them. There, perched on one of the rocky cliffs,was a dragon that was shockingly similar to a Night Fury, the most noticeable differences being its color,eyes, size and what seemed like green diamond shaped gems on its ears, forehead, and chest. The dragon was a soft purple, with black eyes and multicoloured shining eyes, one orange and one magenta. It had to be at least 8 feet tall. When the dragon jumped down, its wings opened, and Snotlout estimated that they were somewhere around 70 feet long.

Needless to say he was terrified.

The purple dragon landed down, and Hookfang got into a defensive position, ready to fight if he needed to, even if the dragon's claws looked like they could slice right through his scales. But the stranger made no move to attack, in fact, the dragon laid down and tucked her claws in, letting them know that she was no threat. Hookfang settled slightly, but wrapped his huge tail around a slightly shaking Snotlout, who was craning his neck backwards just to see the dragon's face.

"Greetings friends, i am Kyanite. I am what most know as a Crystal Fury, since my kind's original name would be impossible for you to pronounce." the dragon said kindly, and was when Snotlout realized that this newcomer wasn't an it. No, this dragon was a girl.

Snotlout felt himself calm down. Now, this big dragon didn't seem so scary, although he wasn't about to try to start a fight with her. Kyanite cocked her head, looking over the two Monstrous Nightmares. "You two seem a little roughed up. Were you just out in that wicked storm?" she asked, genuinely concerned. Hookfang nodded."Our flock got caught out in it, i apologize if we landed in your territory." He said, lowering his head.

Kyanite laughed a little, shaking her head. "Who would live here? No one smart that's for sure. I do remember seeing the silhouettes of a couple of dragons around 13 years ago, but they flew off to one of the other island. I visited that island a few weeks earlier, but all that remained was the smell of a diseased death, and a crushed egg." she trailed off at the end, voice growing quiet and sad. She closed her eyes for a moment, clearing the image from her head. "A-anyways, you mentioned that you were in a group? Since you're alone, i'm going to assume you lost them?" she asked.

Hookfang nodded sadly. Kyanite smiled sympathetically. She stood up and jumped up onto a rock, turning to face the other two dragons. "Come, i think i can help you out."

 

The dragons flew across the ocean,Kyanites wingtips brushing the the water with each flap. Snotlout was safely resting on her back, glad to be back in a comfortable position. He felt something ripple through him, and suddenly there was a island in front of them. He gasped, and Kyanite smiled. "Hold on tight!" she yelled, before swooping upwards. Snotlout used the claws on his wings to hook onto Kyanites scales as they whipped through the air. The great purple dragon climbed higher and higher, until Snotlout could see the stars above them, even though it was still later in the day. A familiar star sparkled, and his eyes widened as SparkSeer seemingly leaped to life. The lines of light grew around the constellation, giving it a visible shape. The star dragon blinked at Snotlout, before pointing its snout North, becoming still once more.

Kyanite's wings stopped beating, and the two dragons fell down through the air. The female snapped out of her shock and angled her wings, catching one of the warm air currents. As they circled the island, Snotlout also snapped out of his shock, and stared out at the island.

As she neared the tallest mountain, Kyanite decided to break the silence. "Little one..do you know what that was?" she asked tentatively. Snotlout slowly shook his head, eyes still blown wide. "I've never heard of constellations coming to life, even in stories!" he exclaimed. Then, for a moment, a unsure look came across his face. "Should we... ignore it?" he asked, glancing upwards. Kyanite shook her head. "No. Clearly StarSeer is guiding you somewhere, and i think i can show you the way."

Kyanite folded in her wings, dropping down onto a stone platform. Hookfang followed them, looking around their strange surrounding. Faint runes glowed as they walked past, and their shadows seemed to come alive, flickering and moving of their own accord. Fireflies danced around the corridor, swaying back and forth, blinking their lights. Kyanite stopped and slid Snotlout off her back. The small Nightmare stepped back as Kyanite walked towards a pair of ancient looking closed doors. Astronomical symbols were engraved into the stone, but they began to move when Kyanite began to speak.

"᛫ ᚩ ᛫ ᛖᚾᛏᚳᚣᚾᛏ ᛫ ᛋᛏᚪᚱᛋ ᛫ ᚸᚱᚫᚾᛏ ᛫ ᚣᛋ ᛫ ᛖᚾᛏᚱᚣᚾᛋ ᛫ ᛏᚢ ᛫ ᛃᚩᚱ ᛫ ᛋᛖᚴᚱᚣᛞ ᛫ ᚻᚪᛚ᛫"

Suddenly, all of the stars on the doors filled with golden light, and the door opened. Kyanite motioned for them to follow, so Hookfang and Snotlout warily stepped through.

Once they stepped through the doorway, the doors closed, and the shadows lept towards the dragons. It flew into their scales, and flowed through their bodies, turning them an inky black. Small glowing white stars appeared all across them, making them seem like living constellations. Kyanite swooped down and flashed her spots, creating a light for them to follow. Hookfang grabbed Snotlout and leaped into the air, afraid of what would happen if they stayed on the ground. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but Kyanite seemed to be showing them something special, almost forbidden.

Kyanite spiraled upwards, and soon they found themselves in a circular room bathed in moonlight. The hole that they had flown through slid closed, and in its place was a circular pool. The light from the moon was directly over the pool, and the liquid inside shimmered and swirled. Hookfang landed, and Snotlout watched as Kyanite sat beside the pool. He hopped off of Hookfang, who refused to go anywhere near the pool, and walked cautiously over. In the moonlight, he could see Kyanite smile warmly, patting the spot next to her. "Soooooo, what is that and how is their moonlight in here? It was day when we went in!" he asked. Kyanite chuckled. "This place is in a different plane of existence. The form you are in right now is your spirit, your body is still down below, safe. As for your other question, this pool allows the user to see anything. This is how we are going to find out where you need to go." she explained before turning back to the pool.

"Show us where StarSeer was pointing." she said. Kyanite blew a plume of purple flame into the pool, and it swirled around. When it stopped, Snotlout saw a large ice fortress. Dragons flew in and out of it like a swarm of colorful bees. The image shifted upwards, and another constellation glowed. It was the Whispering Death's tail. "I know those stars!" Snotlout exclaimed. Kyanite smiled again. "Then that is where you must go. I have a feeling that something big is going to go down soon, so perhaps this will not be the last time we meet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translation- "Oh ancient stars, grant us passage"


	12. Leaving the Nest

Hiccup squirmed after a moment, eager to explore. Valka chuckled and put him down. He immediately tried to run towards the Alpha, only to fall face first into the dirt. "Stupid leg..." he mumbled, before pausing. He wiggled his left foot, and then, to his other shock, he could wiggle his right foot! He scrambled up, whirling to face Toothless. "Toothless, my leg is back!" he cheered. Toothless smiled and pulled Hiccup into a hug, smothering the tiny dragon. Konungr and a few of the other dragons gave Toothless and Hiccup odd stares, silently asking for an explanation. Toothless glanced down at Hiccup, before setting him down to explain.

 

After the Night Furys had retold the events that had transpired, Konungr was shocked. He had known that Leiptr and Dauði had said that SparkSeer would one day return, that the prophecy would come true, but no one had expected it to happen so soon! If this truly was the case, then this small dragon and his friends had a long and hard road ahead of him. He closed his eyes, thinking. Could he really ask this of someone so small? Could they even afford to wait? No, he had to prepare them for what was to come. He leaned down so that he was eye level with the Night Furys. "ℓเƭƭℓε σɳε. ყσµ αɳ∂ ყσµ૨ ƒ૨เεɳ∂ร α૨ε ɱσ૨ε เɱρσ૨ƭαɳƭ ƭɦαɳ ყσµ ૨εαℓเƶε. ωε ɱµรƭ ƒเɳ∂ ƭɦεɱ รσ ƭɦαƭ เ ɱαყ รɦσω ყσµ ყσµ૨ ∂εรƭเɳყ." he spoke in his great thundering voice. Hiccup stared, unsure of how to respond. The great Bewilderbeast ducked slowly, dipping under the water. When he emerged a few minutes later, he was holding a small jade talisman. He placed it gently onto the cliff, and nudged it towards Hiccup. 

"ƭαҡε ƭɦเร, ωε ωเℓℓ ɳεε∂ เƭ ℓαƭε૨. ɳσω, ૮ℓเɱɓ µρ σɳƭσ ɱყ ɓα૮ҡ. ωε ɱµรƭ ɓε รωเƒƭ." he commanded, dipping his head so that Hiccup could get on. Hiccup hesitated. Were they going underwater? Would he even be able to hold on? As if he could hear Hiccups thoughts, the Alpha smiled a bit. "∂σ ɳσƭ ωσ૨૨ყ, ყσµ ωเℓℓ ɓε ƒเɳε." he said reassuringly. With one last glance back, Hiccup jumped onto the Bewilderbeast's back. Toothless jumped up into the air, circling Hiccup. Konungr motioned for Cloudjumper to follow, so the four winged dragon scooped up Valka and flew after the submerging giant. 

Hiccup panicked for a moment, until he felt the Bewilderbeast stop sinking. A small portion of the Alpha's back wasn't underwater, and that is where Hiccup found himself. Perched on one of the Bewilderbeast's spines, he watched as the leviathan class monster swam gracefully beneath the waves. He gasped when he saw that they were leaving the nest. "Wait don't the dragons need him here?" he asked, gripping on harder as he felt the Alpha speed up. Cloudjumper soared down, a very confused Valka riding on his back. "Don't worry, I have a feeling we won't be too long." he said in a gravelly voice. The Alpha emerged slightly, water falling off of his head like cascading waterfalls. "ℓσσк υρ."he said, glancing upwards. They followed his gaze, and their jaws dropped. SparkSeer seemingly blinked, before jumping out of the sky. Lines connected the stars like dots, and her shape became visible. The dragon constellation swooped down, brushing the water with her wingtips. She breathed a burst of fire-like light,illuminating the water.

Hiccup watched in awe as the water sparkled, 3 silver paths forming on its surface. Two of them were fairly close together, but one spiraled off. This path was darker than the rest, and flickered softly. Just looking at it sent chills up Hiccup's spine, But that was where SparkSeer was headed. The great star dragon kept looking back, as if something was watching them. Hiccup looked back, but all he could see was menacing clouds on the horizon line. He got that same chill looking at them, and he silently willed the Bewilderbeast to go faster.


	13. An Eye For An Eye

Astrid ran as fast as she could, claws scraping painfully against the rough stone. Long claws swiped at her, causing her to jump. She had woken up on a island covered in fire alone. Or at least, she thought she had been alone. No, something dangerous lurked in the flames. She had only caught glimpses of their black, twisted, blood stained snouts and their huge sharp claws. 

She jumped up onto a thin ledge, away from the flames. She furiously beat her tiny wings, boosting herself higher. Her claws grasped desperately at the stone, trying to find a foothold. Astrid felt her heart leap into her throat as she felt herself fall backwards, towards certain death. Before she could fall too far, a nubby brown paw grabbed her wing, pulling her forward. Fishlegs was dangling half of his round body over the cliff, struggling to hold on. Astrid hooked onto the cliff side, pulling herself up to the top.

The two collapsed, panting. Astrid inched away from the edge, her tail wrapping around her shaking form. Fishlegs peered over the ledge, watching the dragons pace angrily around the base of the cliff. One reared up, exposing its almost see through hide, its organs pulsing below the flesh. Fishlegs felt something rising up in his throat, and he turned his head, vomiting partially out of fear and partially out of disgust. The gronckle fell back on his hind legs, wiping his mouth.

"W-what are those things?" he asked, shaking.

Astrid only shook her head, unable to answer. Her heart felt like ice had seeped in, paralyzing her. She was shaking and her breath came in short gasps. After a few minutes, she pulled herself together, putting on a brave face.

"Okay. We need to find our dragons, and get off of this island before it burns to the ground." she said, standing up.

Fishlegs stared at her like she had grown two heads. "Are you insane?! Do you not see the balls of death and fear stalking around in the fire surrounding us, or am i the only one?!" he shouted, gesturing to the dragons below.

Astrid hopped over to the ledge, peering down. "Okay, maybe we can-"

She was cut short when a large shadow appeared over head. Something huge dropped out of the sky, snatching up one of the dragons. Enormous black wings folded as the dragons head jerked up unnaturally, tossing the smaller dragon into the air like it was nothing. The creatures jaw unhinged with a spine chilling snap, revealing that it's face was like a flower, four mouths opening as if it was blooming. The dragon it had grabbed fell into it's open maw, screams echoing as it was swallowed. The other dragons below scattered, screeching in terror. With one swift movement, the creature pinned one of them to the ground with its huge claw. Lifting another claw, it touched the tip of the dragon's snout.

Astrid and Fishlegs watched in horror as the dragons skin split open, peeling off. The dragon screamed in pain as its exposed flesh began to bubble, blisters appearing and bursting. The creature's laugh was the stuff of nightmares. It looked like it was laughing, but the only sounds coming out were the tortured screams of thousands and thousands of dragons. Finally, when the entirety of the dragon was covered in horrifying blisters, its organs swelled, and popped one by one, blood and fluids spraying everywhere. Fire licked at the agonized creature, charring the exposed flesh. Once the dragon had been completely consumed by the smouldering flames, the creature lifted its claw, and a small red version of the dragon floated up from the charred remains, glowing softly. It tried to fly upwards, towards the stars, but the creature snapped its jaws closed around it, swallowing. 

Astrid willed herself to move, to run, to scream, anything. But her body would not respond. The creatures head shifted slightly, and Astrid felt herself staring directly into its singular red eye. The other, it seemed, was missing.

The creatures eye narrowed and it reared up, shadowy wings flaring out. It opened its mouth, ready to destroy the two small hatchlings below it, when a burst of bright purple and blue fire exploded near its missing eye. The creature roared, a horrible screeching noise erupting that made Astrid and Fishlegs cover their ears. A glowing white dragon smashed into it, clawing at its eye. The creature snarled and swung its massive tail around, catching the white dragon off guard. The creature sprung forward, pinning the white dragon to the ground by its throat. It opened its mouth, and spoke.

 

 

 

"̴̢̧̧̡̛̻̤̦͖̯̗̫̗̠͓̝͈̬̖̥̰̪̼̦͚̫̱̦̼̣̫͚̯̟͗̈́͐̈̾̌̄̀̉̓̂̓͒̅̿̈́̉̉̄͒̾̌̅̇̉͆̓̽̏̅̿͌̇̆̌̈̍͘̕̕͝͝ͅĂ̶̢̡̢̡̞͍̗̯͈̯̱̤̩͖̘͓̦̝̯͍̪͓̳͎̥̪̮̟̣͖̲̖̲̲̰̖̣̙̙̟̖̮̞͖̬͙̙̽͂͌̄̄͊̃̄͋̊͛̋͑̀͂̽͆̑͐͗͘͝͝͠n̶̨͕̻̣̭͔̫̋́͋̀̓̿̆͛͗̐̋͋͊̍̔̆̽̃̉̿̐̒͂̃͒͆̄̍̈̋̑̏̋͛̍̽̌̕̚͝͠͝͝͠͝ ̵̢̡̡̨͓͉̖̼̜̲̼͚̳̟͎̩̗̜͖̟͓͖͎̝̙̜̫̙̖͕͎̩͉̘͖̭͙̬͌̀͋̇̋̌̒͑͂̚͜͠ͅȩ̴̛̯͕̳̺͈̬̰̦̗̱͕̙͉̫͚͈͎͔̪̻̭͍̳̪̹̖̖̯̤̤̺̦̻̫̻̱̔͑̀͌͆́̈́̆̾̿̐̐̊̋̈́̇͌́̑̓̋̏̃̀̏̃́̑́͗͐̐̾̋̑͛̏̋͗̀̐̚̕͜͜͜͜͠͠͠͠ͅy̵̢̡̢̡̗͇̘̭̺̻̘̭̭̼̝̖̩͍͙̙̩̬͊̈̉̎̉̋̍͜ė̴̢̢̧̢̠̞̪̖̺̖̩̰͕̹̪̹̭̮̮̭̝͚͍͙̩̝̔̎̂̍̓̔͒̒́͜͝ ̷̧̧̢̢̧͔̩̩̤̟̣̝͎̰͕̖̱͔̟̩̫̟̺͍̺̰̹̺͙͈̤̻̟͇̰͉͙͉̻͛͆̑̋̓̽̈́͗̓̈̈̏͌̔̇̌̂̊̈́͑̀͗͑͋̂͘͜͝͠͝͠ͅf̸̡̛̛̛̬͓̤̳̮̋̐̎̽̃͊̽́͌̌́̄̈́̎̈́͂̀̈́̓͋̽̈̌͋̈́̀̈́̓̓̈́̒͛́̿͋͘͝͝͝ơ̶̧̢̡̨̛̥̱͈͖͉̣̼̩̗̤̠̙̬̞̼͕̻̭͍̯̜̹͚̝͓̗͉̳̦̟̺̥̭̟͙͉̖̞̩̖͔͓͓̼̟̟̙̻̪̰̰̟̘̩͇̅̽̓̿̉͊̿͒̊̅͛̒̌̍̃͒̄͋̀̋̅͛́̔͘̚͜͝ͅr̷̢̢̢̡̢̳̗̣͕̯̹͚͔̭̻̫͙̙̪̝̫͔̱͇̱̮͚̿̈̔̾̌̏̿͒̃͗͂̃̔̎̏̈́̓̒̈̆̋̈̅̕͘̚͝͠͠ ̶̧̡̡̨̨̛̣̻̮͇̖͇̰̼̥̻̭̲̖̞͙̙̘̙̟̯̠̼͍̖̦̖̦̹̤̲̻̰̘̲̘̰̩̻͎͉̙̜̮̱͇̻͙͙͊̎̋̈́̂̏̍̇̇͌̀̀̏̂̂̎̂̄͂̽͆̏͗̔̆͒̂̍̅̋̅̃͘͜͜͝͝͝͝ą̵̢̡͔̫̖̖͙̹̜̩̝̘͍̪̙̻̗̫̫͖͓̜̰͕͍͐̔͒̐̓͛̈́͌̀̈́̚͜n̷̡̢͎̣͚͉̩̜̜̤̝̙̿͊̎̈́̾̔͊̀͒̌̋̎͛̏̿͌̂͌͋̆͛̈̽̌͗̈́̒̒̉̍̒̈́̕̚̕͘̕̕͜͝͠ͅ ̷̧̢̢̢̢̛̗̣̣̙̮͉͍̭̰͚̝̞͈̼̜̗̪͎̟̝͇͙̞̹͔̗̣͉͎͎̪̾̆̊̈͗̾̑̀̊͛͗͊͋̄̏̀̓̕̚͜͝͠ͅé̵̡̧̢̡̢̛̛̯̫͍͓̯̯͉̠̟͍̮̮̺͎͙̤̠̙̲̳̳̤͉̗̺̤͙͙̳͓̤͙͇̗̪̙̣͔̹̣̥̖̭͖̫͉͙̮̫̭̮̟͓̟̝̅̽͑̿̽̒̓͊͋̈́̔́̾̐̔̒͗̊̎̏̌̊͐͘͜͝y̶̨̨̡̨͎̹̲͎̰̩̬͈̭̖̱̗̫̯̗̟̝̥̳͔̦̤̜̹̲͍̩̪̲̖̱̦̣̪̏͂̂̿̃̀͐͘͜͠ͅe̴̢̨̢͈̖̥̙͓̥̦̳̟̖̝͇̲͍̺̬̝̣̦̩̥͛̃̾̑̈́̋͝,̶̥̙͙͉͔̗͙̫̿̈́̐̽̈̿͗̈́̈́͐̈́͂́̈̿̎͂̓̏̒̍̎̆͌̅̈̓͒͑̆͐̄̆͘̚͘͘͝͝͝͝͠ ̸̧͍͗̾͐̀̀̌̚͝͠ͅḑ̴̢̨̢̨̨̧̢̛̛̛̛̠͕̗̘̫̞͕͔̲̠͉̻͈͇̦̻̻̪̖͙͔̗̖̝̙͖̭̘̝̦̞̣̖̳͕̙̬̪͓͚̤̟͕́͛͂̈̈́̇̌̆̀̿̽̄͊͐̌͐̓͌̾͑̆̆̔̀̄̆̃̽͐̽̆̈́̑̏̐̎̈́̑̓̇̓͘̕͜͜͜͝͠͠ͅḛ̸̢̨̡̢̧̡̢̢̨̛̩̬̝͈̣̟̤̝͎̣͔̳̰͔̘̯̯̟͍̹̝̳͈͍͚̳͈̖͎̠̬͎̥͙̱̯̈́̎̾͒̉̽̉̿̂̿̽̏͌̑́͒̃̅̉̅͛̈̌̈́͑̂̚̚͜͜͝͠a̵̢̢̢͖͇͎̮͔̖̞̝̬̰̘͔͙̞̹̣̺̺͇͔̞̙̳͇͈͇̪̐͒͐̂͗̎̃̒̊͑r̸̨̠̤̞̮̯͖̯̝̳̬͇̼̖̘̞̮̪̳̘̗̱͔͎͎̝̻̞͒̃̄̓̇̓͋̐͌͛̎̋̈́͒̚͘͜͝͝ͅ ̴̨̨̧̨̡̢̯̼̫̦̭͕̤̗͖̫̫̥͍̳̥͉͕͈͙̣̬̦̼͎̭͕͈̱̜̜͕͇̥̈͌́͐̈́̎͐͆̀̉͊͑̈́̆̈̒̍̂̊̒̚̚̚͘͘͝ͅś̸̩̲̥̳̦̱̲̞̗̲͉̓́̐̐̈̓̒̈́̌͌̓̓͋̌́̓̈̇̎̈́̾̽̌̿͆̈́̄̀̍̏͑̽̓̈́̆͌̈́̕͜͝͝͝͠į̸̨̢̨̤͖̫̙͉̪̖̪͕͖̙̩̠̙̦̦͈̣̣͓̤̠͍͈̯͈̬͍͉̪̘̭͈̘̏̒̃̋͛͆͐̓͌̄̿̅̕͝͠ͅͅs̷̛̗͈̜̥͎͌̃̓̆͛̒̐̌̈̔͑̅̇͗̐̎̅̈́̓͒̒͗́̎̅̀̔͆̽̿͋͛̍̊̃͛͐͒̌͋̎̏̓̇͋͗̋̕̚̚̕͠͠ͅţ̶̢̢̡̢̢̛͙̬͓̟͔̬̩̖͓͍̙͔̭̩̼̗͇͇̲̬͇̖̱̤͖̹̘͈̳͔͕̰̠̬̤̝̭̫̣̙̩͕̠͔͔͓̳̤̬̞̮̳̉͛́̐̀̓͊͋̂͗̍̉͋̋̽̍̇̈̍͛̊̔͛̌̋͗͜͝͠͝ͅȅ̸̡̧̨̧̛̻̝̭̟̗̙̣͎̻̟̰̟̞̺̟̬̻̗̠̪̘͉͈̯̟̼̰͖̟̩͖̞̥͎͈̫͔̮̼̝̬͇͎̾̂̈́͌̕͜͝ͅͅͅͅr̵̨̨̨̧̧̢̡̛͕̠͇͖̤͕̰͕͈̭̟̲̪̱̖̟̬̼͍̰̻͍̤̺̗͔͙͍̘̞̙̝̙̤̺̙͙̺̱̦͉͇̟̝̫͕̰͑̔͗̽̓͊̔͊̐͒͆̐̀̈́̄̿͊̉̈̏͂͗̅̀͊͌̾̔͐͘̚̕͜͠͝͝͠͠ͅ.̴̧̨̢̪̲̦̮͍͚͉̭̗͍͔̹̯̗̣̪̖̯̫̥͍̩̬̘͕͙̹͙̂̑͌̿̄̆͋͌̕͜ͅ"̸̡̧̧̦͈̞̘̪̘̥̗͇̤͎̤̹͍͖̭̲͖͈͍͌̔͑͂̅́̀̀͆̇͛̔́̓͊̃̋̍̀͘͝͠͠

 

 

 

Then, without warning, the creature tor out the white dragons right eye, the same one that it was missing. The dragon roared, but no sound came out. The creature smiled, and dissolved into the flames, the glowing eye clutched in its talons.


	14. Shadows at Sea

Astrid stared in horror as the great white dragon fell to the ground, exploding into white stars that swirled up into the night sky. Purple fire blazed the ground, burning the remaining vegetation. The sound of wingbeats drew her attention away from the roaring flames. Stormfly and Meatlug were racing towards them, relieved expressions on their faces. The two dragonesses scooped up their charges and angled their wings away from the blaze.

Astrid glanced up at the sky, watching as the stars reformed the great dragon constellation. One by one, StarSeer was brought back, but the largest star, the eye of StarSeer, as they called it, was missing, replaced by the void of the dark sky. Astrid felt the spines on her tail raise in discomfort. A faint chill ran down her back, like a ghostly wing brushing over her. As they soared higher and higher, the island became darker and darker, shadows slowly consuming it. The tormented screams of dragons in agony made her tuck her head into Stormfly's ankle, trying to shut out the noise.

 

Hiccup was amazed by how fast the Bewilderbeast could swim.

For such a large dragon, Konungr's movements were swift and graceful. He sliced through the waves like they were thin clouds. A spray of sea water hit Hiccup in the face, and he sputtered, grasping the talisman harder. Toothless swooped down, making sure that Hiccup didn't fall off.

"You okay? Do you want me to hold that so you can get a better grip?" Toothless asked.

Hiccup shook his head. 

"No thanks bud, i'm good." he said, lowering himself slightly.

Toothless nodded and flew up, scanning the sky. In the distance, he heard faint wingbeats.

"Hey! Someone's coming towards us." Toothless called, flying lower. 

Stormfly squaked in alarm, pulling back at the sight of the great Bewilderbeast. Astrid turned her head and gasped when she saw Hiccup standing on the enormous dragon. Fishlegs made an excited squealing noise.

"OH MY GOSH! THAT HAS TO BE AT LEAST A CLASS 10 LEVIATHAN DRAGON!" he said, squirming to get a better look.

Astrid pulled out one wing and waved to Hiccup, slightly annoyed by her lack of hands. The black dragon below waved back, revealing a jade orb grasped in his left talons.   
She tucked the wing back in as Stormfly swooped down, smiling as the cool, salty wing swirled over her.

The two large dragons landed on the leviathan's back just as he began to move again, this time angling slightly, heading for the brighter paths still shimmering on the oceans now chopy surface.

Astrid and Fishlegs ran towards Hiccup, who stretched his wings out and enveloped them in a warm hug. Hiccup noticed the strong smell of ash and smoke clinging to their scales and pulled them back, asking them to explain.

So the two told Hiccup, who had been joined by Cloudjumper,Valka and Toothless, what they had just seen.

"Wait, so StarSeer just exploded?! Gods help us..." Hiccup muttered, leaning against Toothless.

Before Astrid could say any words of comfort, the sound of yelling drew her attention skyward.

"LOOK OUT BELOW SUCKERS!"

Barf and Belch soared down, Hookfang following them. Snotlout and the twins dashed over, greeting their friends. Ruffnut cringed away when Astrid's wing brushed over her side, the claw marks still visible and very sore. Snotlout promised to chop off the dragons horn. He then told them about his encounter with the crystal dragon.

"Hey that sounds like The Nest! We just came from there, so we should have no problem getting ba-"

Hiccup was interrupted by a heart stopping roar. Fishlegs bolted to Meatlug and Astrid froze and puffed herself up, spines fully erect. Toothless crouched over Astrid and Hiccup, while Hookfang and Barf and Belch snagged their respective partners. Konungr reared up, forcing the dragons on his back to fly. Black clouds pierced the blue of the ocean, corrupting it. The great Bewilderbeast threw open his aged wings, flapping them. He slowly rose above the water, straining to stay in the air.

The sky went black as two red eyes pierced every living thing's soul. Something dragon shaped rose out of the inky abyss. Slowly, it formed itself into being, and before them stood a colossal beast of darkness.

G̴̭͖̜͙̤̦̻̻͌̆̒̏̆̿̊͠͝r̴̬̰̙̫̭̳̣̺̂̑e̷̢̫̬̪̬̹̭͖̽͋̎̕ë̷̠̠̯̼͚̗́̓̇̉͜t̷̢͍̖̭̤̻̣͆̉̍͂̇ͅͅi̵̠͚͓̱̫̣̒̋̓̅̎̆͝n̵̞̏̂͐̍̀́̊͐̕ĝ̶̥̻̊͛s̵̢͍͊͐̀,̵̨̗̙̭͔̉͑͝͝ ̶̨̢̬̠̉̂͌̒̍̊̈̓̕̚p̸͖̻̤̑̇a̵̭̖̭͈̜͐̆͠t̵̲̒́h̷̹̗͉̼̺͊̑́̋̿̄̈́ė̵̡̼̖͔͈̆̇̆̋͑͜͝t̶̨̞͙͈̪͊̋̄͐̈́͑̎͘i̷̡̡͈̩̞͚̰̔̽͊̒̿̕c̸̻͇̜̟̩̝̀́́̉͘͜͝ ̶̧̺̜͓͖̭͚͈̈́̕ͅw̶̬̋̉̒̏̀̅̑͘o̶̠̐͂̊̌̕r̵̮͙̼̩͆̐̀̈́̊́̕m̵̥̮̱͎̆͑͋̕s̶̺͂͗̈́͆̚͝ͅ.̴̬͕͚̱͙͒̐̍͋͐̔̂̾̐̾͜ͅ ̵̢͇̫̞̓H̷͇̥̒̈́͝ö̵̤̙̖̞̭́̽͗́͂͐̈ẅ̵̯͔̔̈́̾ ̸̨͍͉͖̖̙̣̂̿̄͂̊͘î̸͈̈́̏͑͜͠ṡ̸̢̡̺͇̤̯͖͔̩̑̃͜͠ ̸̻̼̳͖̤͕͊͛͠y̸͓͇̞̗͕̺̞͉͛o̷͍̤͓̥̥̪̤̼͇͎͌̏u̶͖̫͚̫̣͋͋͝r̴̻̖̣̖͓̣̥̥̼̕͝ ̵̧̲͕̤̱̪̃͊̋p̸̧̻̦͍͖͓̝͇̰̐̄̂̌̕ḯ̵̢̬̳͖͚͇̻͔̳̞̈́̈́͆̈́͌̓̽ṭ̴͓͕̌͗̉ĩ̸̥̗̪͂̓̾̔̌̍̚f̵̧̙͉̲̜͇͕̺̥̜͊͌̆̈́̊͝͝͝u̸̖͇̞̟̞̦̠̔̆͝l̵͈͎̥̹̪̬̻̻͓̓̊̊̃͝ ̴̨̜͖̼̰̠̙̻͉̺̓̎̀̚e̴̮̦̟̒̃̂͋̾̽͊͝͝ẍ̴̣̙͎̯́̆̽̄̉̾̃̋̀͜í̷͍̬̽̿́̅͝͝s̷̜̓̔̅͗̏̈́̆̋̕t̸͕̄͋͐̈́͂̀̚e̶̖͓͙̗̩͙̬ͅň̵͕̩̠̈́̉̇̚͝c̷̛̠̩̜̗̜̤̤͒͒ẽ̸̗͓̖̫͎̜̌s̸̹͆̐̋̏͠ ̷͔͖͖͎̭͌͑͂͆͊̽̆̑͜͠͝s̵̢̛͚̻͇̯͔̬̖̿͑̊̕͜͠ĕ̵̳̪̱̋̂͐̂̏͂̑̕ṙ̷̡̨̫̰͈̼̮͓͎̰v̷̢̨͉̺̝̥̀͋̀̓̽̇͜î̷̢̧̼̭͕̤̦̀̽͊͋̂͘͝ͅn̸̮͌g̸̨̧̻̜͉̜̟̪̈́̄̋ ̸̛̙̈̊̽͜ỵ̶̱̝̖̄̀ȯ̸̡̩̰̝̗͗̄͊̎̆͗͌ͅu̵̫̮̹̼͚͗͆̔̔̎̇͘͝?̷̧̡͚̫͕͔̑͜͜

No one responded.

The creature frowned. He snatched Hiccup out from under Toothless, who roared in fury, but was held down by a black tentacle.

Hiccup gasped for air as the black appendage squeezed him, filling his bones with a cold, slimy feeling.

Ḭ̸͖̐̈́̅̏̈͌̐̌̚̚͝͠ ̶͕͔̤̞̉́̉̃̎̾̌̂̉̅̌͘̚͝͝s̵͓͖͙͇̥͖̭̦͈̭͒̒̐ͅa̸̡̻̹̼͔͌̿͂͊̈̀͠͠i̵̡̡̨̢͔͖̳͇͍̤͕̪̤͆͒̌̾̉̍d̸̛͚͙͆̃́̃̈̓̎͠,̷̛̣̎̐̉͐̽͑̎̒̐̍̓ ̶̬̫̠̗͎̤̰̂̍̄̉̓̈́̂̅̔ͅh̸͈̑̓̍͆̌͒͆͘̕õ̴͔͔̫͋̀͊ẇ̴̢̞̹̟̱̈́̔̅̅͘͝͝ ̷̨͙͈̹̺̠͎̤̙͆͂̏͛̚ĝ̷̰͑̎͐̍o̷͕̹̳̗̱̩̫͌̓͐̊e̶̡̪̹̫͓̤̘̪͍̓̔̋̔̅͆͐̋̑͑̾̀͜͜ͅş̷̙̰̞̝̮̰̦̭̬̥̘̗̗̊̂̈́̊̃̾̀̈́͑͝ ̶̢̡̤̦̩̲͕̳̦̯͎͓̐̊͛̀̈́͐̔̾̕͜ͅẏ̷̛̮͇̼̱̦͉̦̎̈́̄ǫ̶͙̪̞̊͋̈̄̉̅̍̐͊u̷̡͕̮͎̯̻̭̳̩͙̔͗̔̀̀̈́͜r̸̢̜͉̪͇̀͑͒̅̐̑̽̑͘ ̸͓͈͈̗̮͕̲̮̹̠̝͎̼̉͌̆̊͒̈́͝ͅp̵̪̮̝̒̄̉̂͑͊̅̈́̿̎͝͠ả̸̛̖͚͍̥̗̲̼͙̼͎͎̈́̆͊̉̆̑̒̀̅̽̆͝t̸̖̠͈̬̄̒̓͒̚͘ȟ̶̫̔̄̈e̶̤̺͓̙̹̳͆́̊͗̽̆̂̾̒͂̅͘͜͠t̵͌̿͋͌ͅî̵͈͉̹̙̼̖͉͈̜̥̳͈̗͊̆ͅc̶̡̖̬͈̫̙̿̑̌͋̈́͘̚ͅ ̷̮̲̲͙̤̤̈́͂̍͠ͅẹ̵͎̣̪̲̲̮̽̒̋̓͗̓x̷͈̯͔̖̥̰͔͖̖̜͖̜̣̞̮̔͊͗̆̇̇͐͆͐̍̓i̷̧͔͐͒̀̎̔͂͘s̶̳͊̏͛͊͝t̴͖͆̓̔̓͋͊̓̈́̕e̶̡̜̱͓̤͚̮̔̔͘n̷̨͖̼̿̇c̸̙̥͎̐̃̃̂̏̓̄̊̍̽́̆͝e̶̛͈̳̯̖̤̘͆̈́̄͜͠ ̶̦̳̌͆͑́ͅw̵̡͙͕̳̼͉̤̫̬̗̿̓͐̀̽̐͊̄̓̕̚͘͝͠ͅo̷̢̢̳̱̦̯̲̜̺̘͔̰̞̎̌̄̐́͊͒͊͋̐̑͆̇̈͘ͅͅr̶̨̻̹͎̯̮̋̋̉͊͌͂̇̂̚-̴̢̼͙͙̯̟͈̺͈̟̩͕̫͎̀̏̿̿̃͆̊̎̃͗́͆̕͝

A blast of ice cut the monster off. Konungr growled and blasted the shadows again, forcing them back. Above them, the stars shone through and burned the shadows, causing the dragon to screech and dissolve into the water.

G̶̨͐̒̓R̴̢̛͙̤̼Ȁ̷͚̳͛̄͐H̵̱̝̤̰̜̑Ḧ̵̖͍́̍̆͗͠Ḩ̸̧͍̩̞̄!̷̛̛͈̬̃̾͑̐ ̴͖̩͓͐͂̎̈̔͌Ô̷͉̦̯ḧ̸̢̺̪͎́̍͌̿̿͠ ̷̼͙̭̹̩̉̊ỵ̶͔̈o̴͇̤̪̔̓̐̑u̵̢͗ ̶͙̙͇̪̮̐̊̆̉w̶̨̨̧͎̣̿͗̀̈̏̽i̴͔̗̯̥͐̑̉̊͊l̸̛̹̼̃̓͊̈́͘l̸̢͓̰̋̿͌̋ ̸͔̫̝̙̆͊p̵̹̩̖̞̲̐̽̑a̵̖̳͈̣͔͛̔͂y̵̤̪̾̋ ̵͈̎͂͘f̷̜̓̂̑ő̴̥̞͉͇͍̲͘ŗ̷̥͂̓̍̈́͒̔ ̴̳͖̄͐̾̌̊̚t̵̛̹̖̾͑̆h̷͓̏͆͂͠a̸͍̬̲͌͊͗t̴̲̠̆.̷̯̭̫̮̬͐ ̷̘̑̾̀Y̷͕̥̥̆ơ̵̫̭̭͇̄̌̔ǔ̶̪̪̞̲̩͋͌̄ ̶͚͈̻͑̅̔̅̊̈́s̷͖̹̰̘̾͠ḣ̷̖̼̳̓a̷̮͔̗͑l̴̤͔͑̏̏̍l̷̳͕̽̈́ ̴̢̹̎̚k̵̙̻͛̔n̴͒̋͜o̴̺̱̼̾̾̒̚w̶̨̳̪̺̓̀ ̴̧͓͍͒͋̅̈́͐͝m̷̮̐͌͆̊é̶̟͕̣͆͑͂̏̏ ̶̝̍̀b̵̩̙̼̒y̸̡̟̞̳̲͗̓̎̄ ̴̧̧̣̣̲̻͐ȏ̸͇͕̠̼̰̜̒̀͒ň̸̗͙̈́e̷͙̰̎̈̉ ̵̥̜̎͋̈́̀̚n̴͔̫̕a̴͙͎͔̠͍͘̚m̸͔͆ȩ̵͔͎̘̺̳̈̂̑̆͠,̷͙͇͖͕̫̌̍͂̊̚ ̶̢͙̗̟̮̔̿a̷̦̝͋̓͛̎n̴̝̿̓͑̀d̸̜̞͍͌ ̷̢̳̮̝̅ţ̵̰̎̎̓̾ͅh̷̟̲̘̩͊̒͗̚a̴̚͜ẗ̵̛͓́̐ ̸͔̖͎͈͂̈́̌̃n̴̛̤̻̯͉͚̑̈́̅͑͘a̸̡̰̙̣̾̓̆͌͝m̵̲̱̐͂̕ȅ̵̛̛̯͛̿̒ ̶͕̫̹̈́̽͋̔i̸͓͖̗̮̟̪͋̍ṣ̴̥̟̏̑͋̒ ̸͇͉͓͐̾̓̃Ḋ̵͉͖̒͗Ę̸̙́̈̕̚A̴̘͒͘͝T̸̥̝͑͋̓H̸̳̩̟̺͌!̵͙̻̐͛͑̈́̔͠

With one final snarl, the shadows pulled back fully, the ice melting off as fast as it had froze there.


	15. Powers

After the encounter with the shadow dragon, Kongur tor off back towards the nest, waves splashing over his back. Toothless and the other dragons shot after him, wanting to get far away from the tainted water, which was slowly returning.

Hiccup scratched at his scales, still feeling like the black tentacle was squeezing his very soul out. He shivered, shaking himself. Above them, The stars glowed brightly, bathing the dragons below in a silver light. As they flew, a beam of starlight hit the jade amulet still somehow clutched in his talons. The amulet absorbed the light, causing the jade to shake and glow. A black wave swept over Hiccup, knocking him off of Toothless's back.

Toothless roared and began to dive, but was knocked back by a black tentacle. The shadowy appendage ripped through his prosthetic tail, causing him to spiral down. Hookfang dipped swiftly and caught the Night Fury in his talons, grunting slightly from the sudden weight.

Hiccup felt like he was falling in slow motion. The amulet suddenly exploded forward, slamming into his chest. He felt a white hot pain as it melded into his scales. A blinding light enveloped him just as he touched the ink black sea, and he shot upwards, a surge of strength and power filling him. It felt as though his wings could envelope the world, what strength they held!

He felt a firey feeling stir in his chest, wanting to be released. He opened his mouth, and a burst of silver and blue fire beamed out, striking the sea. Lightning crackled as the black dragon formed again, screaming. Its leathery wings began to burn, and a few blue, near transparent dragons floated upwards, towards the sky. The dragon dove down into the sea, the black receding fully.

Hiccup felt drained, and plummeted downwards, blacking out.

 

 

When he next he woke, he found himself surrounded by his friends. Astrid was the first one to notice that he was awake.

"Finally! We were getting worried. You've been asleep for 2 days..." she said, putting her wing over his back. "The dragons left an hour ago to look for food, and to make sure that thing hasn't come back."

Hiccup's eyes widened. 2 days? Why? His question was answered when he tried to move. His body protested as much as it could, shooting pain throughout his being. His chest and wings especially. A small, jade green glow caught everyone's attention. Hiccup looked down and sucked in a breath.

In the middle of his chest was a jade symbol of a Night Fury, much like the symbol for Strike Class dragons. It glowed softly, pulsing slightly with the beat of his accelerated heart. Astrid looked at the symbol suspiciously, while Tuffnut and Ruffnut poked at it, snickering when tiny green rings appeared. Hiccup swatted their paws away, not wanting to admit that it tickled slightly. 

"So, where are we?" Hiccup asked, looking around. The group shrugged.

The cave was enormous, big enough to easily house Kongur and then some. Gems of all different shapes, sizes and colours. One stream of gems that caught Hiccup's eye was a long, blood red assortment of garnets and rubies that was curled around a topaz star. It has flecks of deep red and burgundy, and it shimmered like fire in the glow of a nearby flame.

Hiccup slowly stood up, shaking his wings. He strode over, the group following him. As they rounded the corner, they saw what the gems combined to make.

It was a grand hallway alight with dragon fire torches and fire pits, all different colours. Gems of all colours made up pictures of elegant dragons. The red gems unfolded to reveal a striking Monstrous Nightmare. Orange fluorites flared around the face and upper back of the dragon, giving the illusion of the dragon lighting itself on fire.

On the opposite side was a Deadly Nadder composed of sapphires, topazes and opals. A Moonstone represented the eye, glittering in the light. Marble spines layered the tail. Milky Quartz teeth curved up into a smile.

Ahead of the Nadder was a Chrysoprase green Zippleback, spotted with colours of Malachite Hiccup had never seen. Garnet and pearl horns adorned the Zipplebacks head. Its wings were a lime peridot.

Across from the Zippleback was a stunning Gronckle made of Boulder Opal. Veins of gold and green flashed through its wings, shining in the firelight. Copper claws were holding another Topaz star.

Then, in the center of the end of the hall, stood the statue of a Night Fury, built almost entirely from Lightning Ridge Black Opal. Obsidian claws gripped a large chunk of blue Amethyst littered with stars made of silver. Blue fire crackled right in front of the Night Fury's claws, reflecting light off of its Jade eyes. In its mouth was a black scroll stamped with a silver and blue star. 

 

Hiccup stared at the murals in sheer awe. Astrid swept he tail over the Nadder mural, feeling the smooth stones. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were poking at the green flames that licked at the green gems of the Zippleback mural. Snotlout admired the polished rubies next to him. 

"It's like looking in a mirror." he said, smirking.

Fishlegs was admiring the craftsmanship that had gone into the Gronckle, glad to see that Gronckles were getting some appreciation.

Hiccup turned his attention to the scroll. He slid it out of the mouth of the statue, backed up, and began to unfurl it.


	16. The Map

Hiccup stared at the black scroll, a confused look on his face. They had been chosen to be heroes? Why them? Where were these mysterious Night Furies? Where was the hidden kingdom? Did it still exist?

His mind was buzzing with questions, but the biggest one was how to activate the map. The scroll said something about his own light... fire perhaps?

Holding the scroll up, he coughed up a small flame, keeping in his mouth as to not risk burning the sacred scroll. The light shone through the paper, revealing a map with five glowing symbols on it. His eyes widened as he saw the huge map being illuminated right in front of him. Islands and continents that were totally unfamiliar to him appeared right before his very eyes. He snuffed out the fire in his mouth, and to his delight, the map stayed revealed. He placed it on the ground so that everyone could see.

"Okay, the blue and red symbols are the closest to us, we should try to get them, then make our way east to the lime green symbol. We can head west after that and get the last one." Hiccup said, tapping the different spots with a claw.

The sound of footsteps pulled the groups attention back towards the hallway entrance. Toothless padded towards him, a relieved expression on his face. Hiccup ran over to him, ducking under the elder Night Fury's chin.

"Toothless! Come see what we found bud!" He said excitedly.

Hiccup led Toothless over to the map. Toothless read the words on the scroll before peering at the map, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Hmmmm... I think I know where that red amulet is. I recognize that island, its not far from here, but..." he swung his ruined tail into view, "I can't take you. We will have to wait until the others get back."

Hiccup looked at the ruined tail sadly. If he still had hands, he might have been able to fix it. But his current paws were not meant for delicate crafting. He picked it up and shifted it, inspecting the damage. He really wished that he could just heal the fin somehow.

The amulet inside his chest glowed softly, and a soft green light slowly emerged on his palms. He gasped as he felt his energy being sapped out of him. Toothless's fin slowly began coming back, breaking out of the ruined prosthetic pieces. The thin, black flesh grew smoothly back into place, appearing as if it had never been lost.

Hiccup staggered back, feeling pain spring back into his body. Astrid and Snotlout caught him, helping him to the floor. Toothless stared at his tail with huge eyes, opening and closing the fins. Hiccup panted and looked down at his paws, mind drawing blanks when he tried to understand what had just occurred.

"You... you fixed it. You healed my tail..." Toothless whispered.

Hiccup touched the amulet softly. "I think... I think it was the amulet! It, somehow, some way, gave me healing powers!" He exclaimed.

"WAIT, so if we get amulets, do we get powers too?!" Tuffnut asked, a grin on his face.

"I want explosion powers!" Ruffnut cheered, making exploding noises.

The teens began chatting excitedly about different powers, Toothless just sat down and gently pawed at his fin happily, and Hiccup curled up in between Snotlout and Astrid and took a much needed nap.


End file.
